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My prayers go out to the families of the two young teens who are missing off the East coast of Florida and that the boys are found safe and returned to their parents soon. No matter what the outcome this event brings to light, hopefully it stresses the importance for boat owners/operators to make sure they have the proper safety equipment on their vessels at all times, and knowledge of how to use it.

As a competitor in a 300 mile adventure-style kayak race from Tampa Bay to Key Largo, I push myself and my equipment to its limits. However, I also carry the appropriate safety gear that could help save my life or the life of another competitor in the event it was needed. While I have other safety gear in my kayak, in just my personal flotation device (PFD) I carry flares, signal mirror, whistle, VHF radio, hypothermia kit, knife, strobe light, as well as my personal locator beacon (PLB). Thankfully, I have not had to use the gear for any emergencies, but it was with me at all times just in case.

But lets face it, Florida in July is hot. Who wants to wear all that gear while out fishing? I most certainly don’t. So, I down size a bit for my fishing outings.

For inshore and nearshore fishing, I wear an inflatable PFD. Inside the zipper pocket, I have a knife and an OceanSignal PLB. Often times friends don’t even realize I have my PLB with me until I say something, letting them know where it is in case of an emergency. The rescueME by Ocean Signal unit fits in the palm of your hand and has a 7yr. battery life. For less than $33/yr. I have a direct link to the US Coast Guard should a life-threatening emergency arise. How can you not afford to have one?

Many inshore and near shore fishermen don’t think about carrying a PLB for various reason, but in light of recent events I would hope that people would take the time to re-evaluate their current safety gear and most importantly, be practice using it. This is by no means a judgement on these teens or the situation, just food for thought for those out there on the water.

“A life jacket does you no good if you don’t wear it. If you are fishing in Florida, why would you buy a bulky life jacket that will be stuffed in a hatch, because it’s too hot to wear it? You should consider an inflatable that you will wear all the time, and be there when you need it.”

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Fishing in Florida during the summer months can be rewarding, but it is also extremely HOT. I’ve tried several different ways to beat the heat while fishing from my kayak, but nothing has really worked. Recently, I came across this product made by Sport-Brella. It is an umbrella with a universal clamp and multiple swivel points. For me, the clamp easily attaches the umbrella to the Hobie seat and stays completely out of the way when your casting. This is also going to be useful for videographers and photographers alike, providing shade to allow for easier viewing of display screens while out filming on the water. The best part about the Versa-Brella, is the price. It can be found on Amazon for less than $20.

Click this link for specific product info and current pricing: versa-brella

“The Bates Brothers are working on this skiff in their shop. The measurements are 18 feet by 83 inches at the cap and 58 inches at the chine beam. They estimate that it will be sub 1000 lbs when rigged and outfitted. I am digging the lines. the splash rail on this skiff is cool. “

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Simms is no doubt one of the more popular player in fishing specific apparel. Once known only for their waders and outwear they have made great strides covering all angles for the angler fresh and saltwater fishing life style.

Every year at ICAST I do a new product video line up of their latest greatest apparel as well as bags, gadgets, and such. As usually this year Simms has over 140 plus new items to the already massive line up.

Here is Dave Chouinard dave@chouinardoutdoor.com , arguably the most energetic , some times misunderstood, but always entertaining SIMMS personality I know. He is doing the 2016 line up run down.

note: My personal favorite item is the Z series line of waterproof bag. I have the back pack and looking to get the sling pack this year. They are bulletproof and in my not so humble personal opinion, best water proof(it’s air tight using a zipper) on the boat bags for my camera gear as of this writing I’ve used.